ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
MEETING DATE: July 15, 2026 AGENDA CATEGORY: Consent Agreements TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Brent Stratton, Chief of Police
DATE: July 6, 2026
SUBJECT: Agreement with the County of Kern to Purchase a Robotic Canine Unit to accept funding in the amount of $404,000 for the acquisition of a robotic canine unit.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the agreement.
BACKGROUND: The County of Kern is the recipient of an allocation from the State of California under Section 19.563(f)(31) of California Assembly Bill 102 – Budget Act of 2023, to provide various duties relating to fentanyl misuse (“Fentanyl Task Force Funding”), including, among others, collecting and organizing data on the nature and extent of fentanyl misuse in California, identification and assessment of sources and drivers of legal and illicit fentanyl and xylazine activity in California, and evaluating approaches to increase public awareness of fentanyl misuse, develop methods to strengthen state and local efforts to prevent fentanyl misuse, review and recommend model treatment protocols for medication-assisted treatment (MAT).
The County now desires to provide funding in an amount not to exceed $404,000, for the acquisition of a robotic canine unit through this Agreement as a separate and independent allocation disbursement agreement, limited to the eligible costs and purposes expressly stated within the agreement.
The Bakersfield Police Department (BPD) will utilize the allocated dollars to acquire and deploy a robotic canine unit in support of fentanyl and xylazine detection, seizure, interdiction, enforcement, and related Fentanyl Misuse and Overdose Prevention Task Force activities.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funds will be dispersed to the BPD only as a reimbursement for actual, eligible and documented costs incurred in a not to exceed amount of $404,000.
COUNCIL GOAL:
Safety and Resilience
ATTACHMENTS:
Signed Agreement